It has long been recognized that it would be desirable in many industries and arts to provide a lubricating product or article which would be capable of releasing lubricant over a prolonged period of time under a wide variety of operating conditions, and particularly under heavy load or high temperature conditions. For example, self-lubricating bearings are of great value in the automotive, rock drilling and other industries. It has also been recognized that it would be highly desirable for such lubricants to be selfsupporting, i.e. to have sufficient inherent mechanical strength to actually constitute or at least form a part of the lubricating structure. Therefore, it has been apparent that shaped lubricating articles, composed of a relatively rigid, self-supporting composition, and capable of prolonged use under adverse conditions and heavy loads would be highly desirable.
While various suggestions been made along these lines in the prior art, heretofore the lubricant was introduced to the bearing assembly either after the bearing was assembled and the rolling elements placed in operative position with subsequent gelling of the lubricant, or a shaped lubricant gel was formed outside the bearing, but only in such a manner that it could be loosely inserted or packed around the rolling elements in the assembled bearing.